Author: John Salter & Associates Consulting Services
John Salter - specialising in the facilitation of risk-based capability reviews; needs-based training; business continuity planning; crisis management exercises; and organisational debriefing. Recognised for “preventing disasters, or where that is not possible, reducing the potential for harm” Ref: Barrister H Selby, Inquest Handbook, 1998. Distracted by golf, camping, fishing, reading, red wine, movies and theatre.
The heat is on …
No, not the 1980s soundtrack … though that was fun. As we move into summer, we are reminded of a chilling fact. Heat kills more people than other extreme events. The second point worth reflection here is that “natural disasters” are not natural. The extreme event might (or might not) be caused by “nature”, for… Read More
Eye catching – yes … but
Visual Gap Assessments Eye catching, straightforward (clean), and easy to understand (clear) executive summaries are useful BUT only if they answer the right questions.https://disasterresilienceconsulting.wordpress.com/ https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=FJ69NSF9GGYWW
Short term plus long term risks
Scenarios have impact at all levels.
“What If?” is a powerful question – in any context. From the individual suffering trauma or loss through to those who rely on “infrastructure lifelines”. (Reference BBC video)
How do you “see“ your organization?
Each lens is useful for different purposes. Our clients find the “systems and processes” lens particularly useful when checking for “bloat” or “waste”. This is worth doing occasionally as organizations can become misshaped or bigger than they need to be. The two most useful approaches which our clients use to address this need are:
Believe it or not – systems, frameworks and capability assessments are still popular.
“Continuous improvement” is a clique – bordering on rhetoric … unless it is embraced within a culture as a worthy assumption. As something worth building on … and with. Management Systems – whether they are about quality, risk or business continuity – all benefit from occassional review to provide assurance that ‘the ship is on… Read More
Exceeding expectations
I don’t like the smugness of “exceeding expectations”. “Adequate” is a wonderful term. It is about focusing on a target. It rides on the shoulders of two other great terms, “necessary” and “sufficient”. Anything more is bluster and waste. To address what is necessary and sufficient to be adequate for you, consider our UpWork offerings.
Still calling them “Natural Catastrophes”!
I call bullshit. Yes, maybe a bit harsh of me, but the risk equation is about vulnerability to hazards – and not enough smarts are being used to manage vulnerability. For too long we have kept asking the wrong questions. We focus on recovery – and replace with more expensive assets. This “Oak tree stand… Read More
Prescriptive or Dynamic?
If you think “Business Continuity” is best done with a rigid, rules based and prescriptive plan, I suggest you think again. A risk-based dynamic approach is much more effective. https://disasterresilienceconsulting.wordpress.com
For want of a nail.
“For want of a nail” is a proverb, having numerous variations over several centuries, reminding that seemingly unimportant acts or omissions can have grave and unforeseen consequences. For want of a nail the shoe was lost.For want of a shoe the horse was lost.For want of a horse the rider was lost.For want of a… Read More
◦ Sharing some of Munger’s famous quotes
◦ If Warren Buffett is the king of the investment wisecrack, then his long-time business partner Charlie Munger, who died on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT) aged 99, was the perfect straight man. ◦ The two held court at Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting for decades as chairman and vice chairman. Munger could be taciturn – he could… Read More
Check your emergency plan
Terrific basis for conversations!
Mind the Gap
Mind the Gap, is not just for London railway platforms 😀 We help clients identify gaps between current and desired performance. By determining, the difference between business requirements and current capabilities, gap analysis builds on benchmarking and other assessments. This comparison (between where you are and where you need to be) becomes the gap –… Read More
Old wine – New bottles
So on a reflective Friday morning over coffee, I have browsed through some of my early writing – partly for fun, and partly to see how well it still “stands up”. It may depend on how you measure it 😂 From my point of view – and context at the time – they were written… Read More
A reminder – vulnerability is variable
A wet day at Hazel’s cafe this morning reminded me of one of my free apps – vulnerability is variable!
Reputation Risk
This week gave us a classic story of “ambush by a reputation risk”. … for want of a horseshoe nail.
How prepared are you? How prepared ought you be?
A short story … Once upon a time, in the bustling city of New York, there was a small family-owned business named “Lighthouse Marketing”. The business was doing exceptionally well and was generating substantial profits for the family. However, the owner, Mr. James, was always concerned about the future of his business. He knew that… Read More
How prepared are you? How prepared ought you be?
A short story … Once upon a time, in the bustling city of New York, there was a small family-owned business named “Lighthouse Marketing”. The business was doing exceptionally well and was generating substantial profits for the family. However, the owner, Mr. James, was always concerned about the future of his business. He knew that… Read More
Heart, Head, and Gut
How do you make tricky decisions? “Duke it out” immediately focuses on the importance of tensions between different things – in this context, between different decision criteria. For each of us, a key question is “which rules” – or, in this decision making context, what weighting is given to each criterion?
John Salter Consulting Services 